Calla Lilies are famous for their beauty which is beyond comparison. That is the reason why they are suitable for every garden or houses, but it is essential to understand the instructions for taking care of Calla lilies in order to keep it blooming year after year. The following instruction will show you whether and when to dig up calla lilies and how to give your calla lilies proper care in the winter.
Prepare Calla Lily for winter in Warm Weather
Calla Lilies can’t deal with cold climate, so gardeners must be aware of the geography differences of gardens to take good care of Calla Lily in the winter. If the USDA plant hardiness zone 8 or higher is where you live in, your calla lilies will be able to stand the winter outdoors. In that case, you don’t need to dig them up. Mulching where calla lilies grow and stopping watering are methods to take care of calla lilies in warm climates. These steps will allow the plants to dormant and rejuvenate themselves.
If you are living in a warmer climate and your calla lilies are having trouble in blooming, you should follow those steps below in order to storing calla lilies rootstock for winter. The reason for that situation might be the shortage of dormancy and the following method will help calla lilies dormant itself.
Prepare Calla Lilies for winter in Cold Weather
Your calla lilies will not be able to survive over the winter if you are living in zone 7 or lower, therefore you should learn the differences between calla lilies’ winter care in warm climate and cold climate.
You should dig calla lilies up to take care of them during winter. Start digging up when calla lilies’ foliage are killed by the frost. This is the best time because your lilies will be able to store all the necessary nutrients at that time, so they can manage to survive the winter.
After finish digging calla lilies up, you should move to next step that is removing any remaining dirt gently and slowly. The calla lilies’ foliage will be rotten right after you wash their rootstocks, so do not wash the rhizomes. From the top of the rootstocks, remove all the leaves and remember to leave about 2 to 3 inches of the dead leaves.
Next, you should let calla lilies’ rootstocks become dry in a warm and waterless place for four to seven days. This important step will help the outer skin of the rootstock toughen up, so your calla lilies will be able to survive the winter. This step is curing step which belongs to the process of taking care of calla lilies.
After the rootstock of calla lilies dried completely, use a paper bag or newspaper to wrap them. Then, place them in a cool, dry environment which stays around 50 F (about 10 C).
All those steps play important roles in taking care of calla lilies in the winter. Follow these instructions and your calla lilies will manage to bloom beautifully in the following seasons.
